Mocking Epithets

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    I wanted to share this incomplete rough draft of the mocking epithets applied to other schools. I'm looking for any critiques, large and small. Most of the pairings of epithet to the particular philosopher are clear, but not all, given the higgledy-piggledy presentation given in Plutarch, Non Posse, 1086 D.




    Edited once, last by Bryan (July 4, 2025 at 3:21 PM).

    I did something similar to the m Epicurus' nicknames for others in Diogenes Laertius a couple years ago:

    Post

    RE: Epicurus' Favorite Insults

    Okay, done! That was fun! I didn't do Plato since @Joshua did a good job above.

    Enjoy!

    Nausiphanes:

    ‘The mollusk,’ πλεύμονά (pleumona "lung-fish, jellyfish"> related etymologically to English "pleurisy")

    http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?do…ry%3Dpleu%2Fmwn

    Hicks note: Cf. Sext. Emp. Adv. math. i. 3 νῦν πλεύμον α καλῶν τὸν Ναυσιφ άνην ὡς ἀναίσθ ητον; Plato, Phil. 21 c ζῆν δὲ οὐκ ἀνθρώπο υ βίον ἀλλά τινος…
    Don
    May 28, 2022 at 7:55 AM

    I really enjoyed chewing on these ancient slurs.

    I appreciate that there seems to be a universal preconception for "Hater" or "Haters". ^^

    In particular, I like thinking that Plato is not just "golden", but "gilded", as in, "cheap" and "superficial", like modern currency, or that his dialogues are just gold leaf painted over bad philosophy.

    Good find on Sannídōros! I missed that etymology completely.

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